1. Field of the Invention
This invention is a waste Separator-Receptacle designed for the temporary storage of recyclable products, which is used to facilitate and in connection with a governmental, public and/or private program for the recycling of materials.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are waste containers that are round, square and rectangular in existence, but nothing of the nature and use described or contemplated herein by this invention is known to exist. A number of U.S. patents have been granted on a variety of receptacles or containers having various compartments for receiving different types of waste materials. For example U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,021,872 and 3,720,346 issued, respectively, to W. M. Kingsbury and David T. Cypher, both disclose a compartmented trash receptacle for segregating different types of trash. The first aforementioned patent discloses a two-compartment receptacle for receving garbage in one compartment and paper in the second compartment, whereas the second aforementioned patent disclosed a cylindrically, upwardly opening receptacle having at least four cavities for receiving different types of trash. Another design is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 1,327,778 issued to H. Reichman and A. R. Spangenberg having multiple compartments for receiving trash and packages. Sliding doors are provided for closing the trash receiving compartment.
Additional prior art containers include the multiple compartment refuse container shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,615 issued to William R. Johnson wherein a plurality of compartments are provided, each closed by a pivoting door with each compartment having a removable trash bag received therein for receiving the refuse. The trash bag is secured in place by means of a lip extending around the compartment opening. A more simplified approach is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,173 issued to Loryn B. Deane and Edward V. Deane which discloses a plurality of trash receptacles designed for use in the home for the separation of trash such as glass, cans, papers and the like. Despite all of these prior receptacles for separating trash, there still has not been adopted a uniform procedure for the masses which will provide for the automatic separation of trash at its source and the subsequent collection thereof. In addition, previous inventions do not emphasize the problems of odor, germs and mold connected with the use of the invention.
As discussed at page 4 following concerning the Sierra magazine article, cities are burning their waste materials and garbage as space for landfills becomes scarce and most landfills do leak into the environment. Combustion of products, when burned, causes a significant amount of air pollution amounts of chemicals to be injected into the atmosphere both on land and into the air. As a result, a national recycling program is needed to separate the various products, particularly glass, papers and metals into definable groups of trash. Various devices have been provided for processing trash to separate the materials into different groups. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,987,640 issued to A. E. Rothgarn, there is shown a device for separating materials of different specific gravity. Likewise, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,232,220 issued to A. A. Sileski, there is shown a machine that is used for compacting and disposing of three basic types of rubbish. Another approach is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,776 issued to Ernest Pluss wherein a relatively large container is disclosed having multiple compartments for collecting products to be recycled. The large receptacles and machines are typically designed for commercial application and thus, are ineffective for use by homeowners. Disclosed herein is a new waste separator receptacle which may be used at home, at work or elsewhere for the segregation of trash into at least four or more, or for example in this application five different categories.
The product disclosed herein may be mass produced and marketed to provide easy recycling of certain waste materials found in all modern societies including both hazardous and non-hazardous trash. The Separator-Receptacle specifically reduces the need for importation of certain raw materials from abroad, such as bauxite for aluminum, which ultimately generates more trash in a never-ending cycle. This new trash generated has to be either burned or buried in a landfill or other depository. The importation of raw materials exacerbates the problem and the balance of payments deficits of modern nations is made worse. Recycling definitely diminishes such deficits and reduces trash at the source.
The subject invention is what I call an EcoBasket, as its very name implies it encourages recycling and seeks to diminish the need now and in the future for governments to buy highly sophisticated air and water pollution equipment to reduce trash, which systems either burn the trash or store wastes but, in turn, give off enormously harmful air emissions or allow leaking into water systems of hazardous substances.
Even more startling is what the invention seeks to prevent as a consequence of the burning or landfilling and storage of waste materials. The article "Toxics and Male Infertility" by Michael Castleman, Sierra Magazine, March/April, 1985, described how chemicals as poisonous dioxin emissions and leaks of hazardous substances into ground water are entering the human body and causing male infertility and damage to other living things. The need for this invention disclosed herein is urgent and now.
As is commonly known today, it is absolutely imperative that organized recycling of materials expand on a grand scale for the future existence of the work based upon finite resources.